This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Mating connector assemblies are used extensively in various industries, including the automotive industry, to couple sets of electrical conductors to one another. A relatively recent development is related to a floating alignment member of the type that is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,670,177. The floating alignment member is slidably received in a male connector housing and is configured to move between an extended position and a retracted position. The floating alignment member is disposed in the extended position prior to the mating of a female connector housing with the male connector housing and is moved to its retracted position when the female connector housing is moved to a position where it is fully mated to the male connector housing. While such configuration is suited for its intended purpose, we have noted several drawbacks. For example, the floating alignment member is locked to the male connector housing and the unlocking force that is required to unlock it from the male connector housing is added to the force that is required to seat the female connector housing to the male connector housing. It will be appreciated that the force required to mate the female connector housing to the male connector housing can be greatly affected by the quantity of electrical conductors that are to be mated to one another. In instances where a relatively large quantity of electrical conductors are to be coupled to one another, the force to fully mate the female connector housing to the male connector housing can be relative high. Moreover, it can be undesirable to time the unlocking of the floating alignment member from the male connector housing at the same time that the mating male and female terminal elements (carried by the male and female connector housings, respectively) are initially being aligned and engaged to one another. Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for an improved connector assembly with a male terminal protector.